Save Them Sevvy
by Rubinia
Summary: "Be quick. What does Voldemort have to say to me?" "No. Him nothing. I came out of myself..." Severus Snape warns Dumbledore that Potters are in grave danger. From that point, decisions aren't plot-wise but way better. Multiple chapters intended.
1. Chapter 1: 'Severus, you disgust me'

"Hide them, then. Protect them all." he begged the second most powerful warlock this world ever seen in the accounted history of magic.

There would be no reason for if the no. one was slightly less ruthless. But in the reality of magic ambition is everything; you never go far if you lack disdain. He desperately hoped the no. two will see there's something to gain for him, if only by weakening his better-off-rival at least temporarly.

"There's not much time. Dark Lord is very serious about rivals, you know that, Dumbledore." he added, glancing at towering white-bearded figure under steep hat. Violent wind was playing with white sage's hair and greasy black Deatheaters' hair, with loosely let robes of both, but the Dumbledore's hat was magically fixed.

"You're insightfull man, Severus." noted the Hogward headmaster. "Don't worry. We've got the ways and means." he assured and slowly circled around the black-clad Deatheater who was still on his knees. Coarse grass was wet with ordinary British spray-rain.

Dumbledore lit his wand and Snape shrugged instinctively. That was disgrace, of course; to let himself fear any magic like some clueless muggle. But he couldn't help it. Too many times he has seen stricktly unenvyable fate of the other side's underlings delivered by Dark Lord at his leisure. Here there was no witnesses. Being at mercy of the famous no. two he could count on but two things: the warlock fancy or the messenger-boy role that might be assigned to him.

"Is there something you'd like me to tell Lily from you?" asked Dumbledore with quite a courtasy. His light-blue eyes gained deeper depth with flickering wand-borne light. That hooked nose used to be a subject of jokes between schoolchildren of Hogwards, as Severus sourly recalled. He forced the untimely memory back behind the oclumency wall. It'd be absurdly silly cause of death!

"I- no, just don't tell her it was me who overheard." he answered after a relatively short stiff while.

Deatheater looked away and swallowed, and hoped the nickname of Dark Lord followers isn't prophetical. He also counted on that Lily won't hate him more. Even if he deserved, why cause her feel bad or hard feelings. And there was silence, strangely deep and sudden and complete. Severus blinked and in that blink of an eye a familiar sharp pull in abdomen made it clear what was happening. Either teleportation or intesties-into-iron-ingot charm. Not sure which one means worse.

* * *

He swayed and had to catch balance with help of old fireplace framing. In the process he caused some family photoes and a glass ball with smiling snowman to fall down. Small cloud of artificial snow dust rose from crushed toy ball. Deatheater cursed non-magically under his nose and took off his wand with free hand.

"Don't." someone warned and disarmed him with Expelliarmus. Eleven inches walnut wand with dragon heart core made a perfectly geometrical bow to be catched by the only hands he would be wiling to give himself into.


	2. Chapter 2: Erased Reflection

"Lily!" he gasped, suddenly halfbreath. Snape didn't really anticipate this comming.

Pretty young woman of auburn hair and unforgetable green irises was sitting on the coach between two absurdly flamboyant small pillows. Dark crescends below her eyes and subtle weary look on her face and that slight unhealthy paleness. All made it pretty clear she had trouble with her sleep recently. Snape licked dry lips and straightened a bit, still stiffly one-hand lend on the fireplace.

"You look good." he noted dully, gratefull she's still breathing and living. Such enthusiasm wasn't recognisable at all in his voice.  
Dark eyes was shining agates.  
"It's been a while. Long while." he added, glancing around.

There, above the fireplace where he freshly disarranged trinckets and photoes, was medium-sized oval mirror in richly ornamented brass frame. The surface wasn't clear, but full of smokey shapes. Magic, but which kind? Lily sternly claimed to be straight white side witch, but Snape knew the only kind of whiteness in the magic world is that bright flash of steel rail. In other words, mirrors and smoke.

The room was round. Common architecture doesn't really limit wizards. It was full of furniture, yet spacey, with way more light and air he was accustomed to. Fruits in the bowl, bright flowers, one or two pictures on the curvy wall all were for Severus pretty alien in taste.

They were here alone. The last time they met in private was, well, disaster by all ways and means. He couldn't understand why he landed here or where the second most powerful wizard of the world is now. Not that it was all-important or important at all.

"Why are you here, Sev?" Lily asked after tilting her pretty head. She sighted slightly and rested hands on the knees, playing with Snape's wand with slender fingers.  
"Sit down if you like." she added with faint sad smile.

"Sorry I crashed that sovenire thing." Deatheater said before advancing a few steps and sinking into all-too-plushy armchair. The two were separated but by low coffee table now. Thick, colourfull oil-pencils were laying messily there.  
"Actually I wonder wheter it's a dream or not."

Lily glared at him a bit longer.  
"So what do you think?" she mused with hint of playful flavour in her smile.

"I guess if it was my dream, you wouldn't be so inquiry." Snape decided, then made a wild try:  
"Might I have my wand back?"

Lily looked at him with mild irritation, as if he was a whimsy child. She had full pallete of meaningfull mimic.

"We're not on the same side. You won't lure me in, Sev. Save your time." Lily said gravely.

Deatheater looked away.

"I just want my possesion back." he said smoothly, regarding Lily with rather hard to read look.  
"By the way, you should put more protective charms over your place." he added.  
"It's the wartime. You'll get yourself killed if you aren't cautious." Snape warned.

Lily shrugged and rose her head in that brave way he loved so.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?! Are these threats or what?" she snapped angrily and Snape's wand gave away dozens of sparks in her hands.

"Relax, Lily." he leaned back in the armchair more comfortably.  
Snape resisted the temptation of bragging over, or even so much as demonstrating in short that he wasn't entirely helpless, wand or no wand. Simple Levicorpus spell cast in no-verbal would likely prove the point.  
"You're having the upper wand here." he said instead.

He never managed to impress her with dark magic and it's unlikely it would work to try now. Especially by throwing curse on her. Auburn hair, stirring green eyed young mother glared at him with anger mixed with disbielief but both in a bit offended way.

"Look, I don't get what you're playing in. You comming here and all. It's over, Sev. You won't hurt anybody anymore." she unconciously bit the lower lip. For some reason there was rising fear in her eyes, matched only by her Griffindor-like self-composure. Lower layer of irritation was still there, muffled. Snape rose flat hand in definite gesture of reasonability.

"Noone ever complained." he argued vaguely.  
"I guess James and his pals aren't here. Your kid isn't here. I'd know by now." the man went on looking at the weary, stress-struck, beloved face of Evans daughter.

Something in his calm and steady manner seemed to soothe her nerves.

"It's none of your buisness, Sev." she was still using the abrev. Lily get wary.  
"Wait, did you just read my memories? How do you know we have a child?"

Snape froze at that and countered the question sourly:  
"You're married for quite a while by now, aren't you?"

Young mother wasn't entirely sure if that's a legitimate explanation. She shook her head in afterthought. Slithers were sly all over.

"Never mind. All in all I've already told you." she sighted at the bluff.  
"But we aren't here for small-talking. I'll have to call for aid... and I hate to."

Lily glanced at Snape with regret which gave him creeps. He moved in his seat sharply, nervous. After realising what he's doing, he froze.

"You shouldn't be ever all alone, for the same reason you need magical alarms." he said adamantly, this time with underlay instrinct of anger.

Lily blinked and looked startled.  
"You're not making it easier." she said dryly.

Snape made another wild try.  
"Won't you check it out if I'm realy who you think I am?" he asked and rose form his seat. Coffee table was riddiculously low. Never understood the purpose of such fancy furniture.

Lily looked up and rose his own wand reluctantly.

"See, that's funny." auburn haired said and waved the Snape's wand.

With swift noise and muffled 'puff' a teaset appeared: steaming teapot and two big, sturdy cups. There was also one small potion-vial simmilar to medical stuff, but probably magical. Lily navigated all these onto the coffee table. Green eyes looked at rather startled Deatheater thougtfully.

"I know you mean me no harm." she said shyly in lower tone.

Snape couldn't get it. How? They always were friends until they weren't anymore, but... if she realised, no, could she realise? Lily pointed with wand wielding hand somewhere above the fireplace. Deatheater looked over his shoulder. Mirror? It was still no-reflective, full of grey mist.

"That's some Aurors' device. I don't recall the name." the story went out of Lily's lips.  
"It shows the owner's foes, it reveals danger." Snape looked back at her, towering, dead silent and such as serious. Agate-like black eyes glimmered with recognition.

"You haven't seen me, have you?" he not so much asked as stated it. His voice was unordinarly relieved. Snape hardly noticed that.

Lily just noded.

"You see, if you aren't my foe nor mean me harm, Sev..." she smiled in long unseen friendly way, happy way of youth. Snape felt the amid warmth almost literaly. This and sharp, gut-twisting grief... mourn over what he could have and what he lost.

"I've known you aren't all bad, really." Lily said half amused, quater thankfull, twelve percent proud and the remaining rest in trust.  
"But so many other things I don't know... Please tell me what do you want. Why are you here?"

Snape bent over and sat down back in fluid, aware move.

"I came to warn you..."


	3. Chapter 3: Snakes and Doves

Lily was looking at Snape keenly with her stirring, beautiful eyes. Twin-like emeralds.

'Seriously, Sev?' she asked with false attempt of turning his words into joke. Her short, friendly laughter seemed tense and desperate, as she realised that Deatheater was death certain about the danger.

'You realy think I'd try and fool you?' Severus asked with strange mixture of sour irritation and soothing persuasion. Their gazes met each other and he impulsively grabbed a tea-full cup. Evening tea was spiced with Verita Serum, added there by Lily in plain sight just a minute ago.  
'Let me prove it, then.' he said gently, than took a sip.

Tea was terribly watered-down. He never had English tastes at all, but this time it was necessary evil.

'But...' Lily said, surprised enough to became calm. She waved Snape's wand with slender hand in rather undecisive gestrue, giving away a handful of cyan sparks.  
'Is there... any counter-potion against Verita Serum?' she asked with reluctance and vibre of disrelish.

From behind a cotton-wool wall of simplicity filling his brain like corn syrup, Snape took it that the love of his life feels pity over him as well as feels drugging him morally wrong, despite the fully-consious act of self-application.

'Don't you worry so much, Lily, it's bad for looks.' Deatheater said, then, as Serum made him speak out his mind without much reflection.  
'There's none. Trust me. I'm Potion Master and I know the Verita Serum is totally uneffective only against the wizard who has prepared it.' Severus explained steadly, in a bit slowed-down speech.  
'Apparently it wasn't me.' he concluded dryly.

'It's Dumbledore's', Lily prompted impulsively. Severus groaned from behind clenched teeth. As if he could end up worse! Spells and potions depend heavily on magical strenght of any given wizard who creates them.

He couldn't help from saying that aloud as the thoughts has formed, he could only keep his mouth shut during doing so.

Lily get anxious.

'What's wrong, Sev?' she asked with solicitude, which was fairly heart-tearing.  
'Are you in pain? Maybe your allergic to it!' Lily was too brave to really panic. She grasped Snape's hand, put the edge of his own wand to livid veins on the wrist and exclaimed a half of dozen spells. All charms were of purification, cure, pain-soothing and blood system stabilisation. It couldn't neither harm or help.

'It's of no use, Lily, I'm all right.' Severus said, covering her grasping palm with his free one. He looked for her eyes, locked gaze and more-or-less half intently send to Lily mental wave of calming assurance. It was reckless yet effective.

Auburn hair woman's eyes widered. All the tension and concern were washed out from her body, yet pretty face and ever emerald-like eyes showed clearly her bemusedment.

'You're prettier when you're puzzled.' Snape said before he could swallow the words. A small piece of eternity passed by.  
'You keep avoiding the gist.' Deatheater went on, each heart-beat like a thunder in his ears where magic merged with blood hovered over his every thougth and feeling.

'You're in death danger, you and your... loathsome family. Petunia included. Your son is Dark Lord's number one on wished dead list. You're all dead if you won't run, hide or give out the boy, which is null option if I know you.' words were falling swifty, matter-of-factly, like well-measured drops of vital liquid added into live-saving potion.

Shock, repulsion, inner uproar and pain all came forth, making Lily's face expression change violently.  
'You don't say you came for-' she shouted and tried to shake of his hands. Snape didn't let her. His fingers kept tight enough, like curls of famous Slytherin serpent.

'I haven't come for your brat, so don't insult me.' Snape snapped.  
'As if I need to tell you whom to trust!' he was angered and his upper teeth gleamed like of fierce dog's.  
'Mind your friends? Pet werewolf, sus rat Animagus, monsters-loving giant.' he named one by one, coldly furious. Nose-to-nose standing over absurdly low coffee table, where bad tea was bleak and tasteless.

Lily cast a long gaze at the man, raising her head defiantly with even now so lovely wave of rich reddish hair.

'You've always been so prejudiced!' she commentened with regret.  
'You don't know them close enough!' she argued with fair amount of wonder over this kind of people judgement.

Something deep inside in Snape wailed like a kicked dog. But now inside is outside and he spoke up in cold mind and surprisingly restrained manner that what came from long years of deprived from hope longing.

'You can't see people through, Lily. And that's why your son won't live up his next birthday.'

Snape realised his hands clutch tightly at Lily's shoulders, as if in attempt of shakeing her into understanding. A moment of doubt hanged over like hangover, quickly crashed by mere certainity. He would never be so brute with Lily Evans, that's as simple as wand. Snape forcefully straightened all tense, slender fingers of potions maker and let both palms slip downside Lily's arms to elbows and backwards in reassuring caress. She moved a bit uneasly, then cast a thoughtfull look of darkened emeralds at his face.

'I overreacted. I'm sorry, I shouldn't but I'm nerve wrecked, yet it's no excuse. You never deserved that-' Lily said with plain remorse, struck by the afterthought. Words followed one after another very quickly, as if to barrickade from silence.

She rose her wand wielding hand and poke Snape's left arm with it, aiming at the point where she imagined his Death Mark to be burned into living skin. She wasn't exact, but close fair enough, Deatheater judged.  
'You hit the mark.' he laughed shortly with little amusement.  
'I'm no better than werewolf.' Snape added bitterly. Self-irony was like shield and mantle. He couldn't fight bare facts, after all, and these hadn't implicate his own trustability or trustworthiness.

Lily shook her head quickly and said promptly:

'No, wait! What I mean is... I should have remembered you risk much.' she explained it dead serious. Warmth of gratitude and respect coming from her were iceberg melting, straightforward and simple.  
'They'd kill you if they found out- right?' she asked with concern. This time Snape couldn't bear himself into false laughter.

'Yes.'

Lily looked deep into his face, her own features showed decisive and active stand. Something of brave lioness indeed about her, despite her fragile frame.

'They won't. I promise.' she said adamantly and with one slender move she flatly pressed Snape's wand to his chest, basically handing it back to the propper owner.

'I'm the only one of Order of Phoenix who's seen you here', Lily said quickly, hastly, with no inclination of finding silence unbearable.  
'You can safely teleport out and noone will ever know.' she concluded. 'If you wish, you can stay and join us against Voldemort.'

Snape shiverred uneasly at the sound of Dark Lord's name.  
'It's up to you, Sev.' she summed up simply with gentle vibre in her voice.

Snape rolled his wand between sledner fingers like a conductor's baton.

'No Deatheater should fear of death.' he remarked. 'It's in the job's name.'

Lily shrugged and gave him a hard to read look. It was a healthy mixture of feelings.

'They brainwashed you- Look, I won't let you get killed because of one of few honest, good things you ever did in life!' she argued emotionally and unintentionally harshly.

Snape's agate eyes narrowed. So she indeed did care... on friendship level at most. Bitter taste fouled his mouth, teeth painfully clenched and cheeck muscles tensed.

'You should worry about your child now.' potion master pointed out dryly.  
'This, not getting distracted by false friends, and trusting noone. Then they won't fail you.'

Lily stared at him, clearly of opposide opinion. She half-conciously shook her head, denying complience to such cynical plan of action.

'My son-' Lily Potter said. 'He'll be absolutely safe, I know that! They're good people and I can count on Dumbledore...' she reasoned with quite an emotional involvement into subject.

Snape locked eyes with formerly Evans, regarding dephts of chasm between them in one glance.

'He should have been my child so I could protect you both.' he said ashly.  
'You said I risk much meaning my life? I risk more.' 


End file.
